Twitcher
Twitchers are first encountered in the ruins of the USM Valor, later spreading into the USG Ishimura. They additionally appear on Aegis VII. Description Twitchers are the result of the Necromorph infection contaminating the corpses of the Marines stationed onboard the USM Valor. They are unique in that they were produced as a result of Marines equipped with Stasis Modules in their Soldier RIGs. They are physically similar to Slashers, but as they were created from Marines and not civilians so they are much tougher to take down. A disturbing side effect of the transformation is that the stasis modules the Marines were equipped with became fused with the resulting creature and the effect of the stasis module is strangely reversed, with terrifying results. Because of the stasis module merged into their body, Twitchers can react and move several times faster than any other Necromorph variant, making them very hard to hit before they close in to melee range. It also causes them to have highly erratic and spastic movements, and their features seem to blur as they move when seen close up as they move about. They also make distinctive jabbering noises when they get close. Their name is derived from their constant twitching and spasmodic behavior. Their design is similar to that of a Slasher (however this is hard to notice due to their speed). Their heads, legs and bodies, retain a vaguely human form, albeit much chunkier and muscular than Slashers. They lack the small chest appendages of the Slashers, but their talons are much larger (the same size as those on a Pregnant, in fact). Their heads have a massive hollowed out indentation on the top of the skull, and tiny tentacles fill the gap (creating a disturbing, yet rather comical likeness to hair). They also seem to be missing both their eyes. Furthermore, their faces seem to be almost static; they never change their facial expression, which is fixed in a blank and hollow stare. The armor they are fused to is partially visible though gaps in their skin, and two large sections protrude from the creatures back, like the closed wings of a beetle. They have a very beetle-esque appearance, combining the armor on their back, their hunched form and their front limbs, which are reminiscent of an insect. Strategy *Increased speed aside, these Necromorphs are essentially a variant of the Slasher. *Twitchers will fake death if their legs are removed! Do not turn your back on them, or they will crawl up and attack, taking you by surprise, given their speed. When in doubt, shoot 'em again. *Twitchers will often feign death as a Slasher will (more often when their arms are cut off). The way to tell if a Twitcher is playing dead is the same as a Slasher, look for a death animation! *Using Stasis on a Twitcher overrides the effect of its own Stasis module and brings its speed down to that of any other Necromorph under Stasis. *Distance is your best friend. As such, while they're still charging you, use a weapon with an instantaneous projectile speed, such as the Plasma Cutter or the Pulse Rifle. They're quite capable of dodging a Line Gun beam when they see it coming. *In Easy mode, they either don't notice the Line Gun shots or aren't programmed to dodge them; they'll often run straight at you no matter what you shoot them with. A single powered up Line Gun shot across the upper torso will cut off both arms, killing them instantly. *Don't misjudge their running speed. The moment one is a few meters away from you, switch to an area-of-effect attack such as the Contact Beam's secondary attack, or fire a shot with the Force Gun just before it reaches Isaac to simultaneously knock it back and deal some heavy damage to it. Also, be ready to heavily rely upon these splash-damage attacks if multiple Twitchers converge upon you. *Pulse Rifle rounds do a good job of keeping them from moving, but don't just focus on the Twitcher. Remember to also keep an eye out for any other potentially far more dangerous Necromorphs in the area, such as Exploders. *A legless Twitcher crawls with the speed of a running Slasher, but their arms are easier to target this way. *If they become too hard to target because of their speed and your Stasis energy is low, use the Ripper to cut down both legs and then both arms, with one or two shots. With an upgraded Ripper, you should be able to take down this and many other Necromorphs with only one shot. *An interesting thing about the Twitchers is that if they do come up into high speed, a shot in the leg can make them fall to the floor, breaking off their arms and often killing them. Achievable on Medium using a fully upgraded Plasma Cutter or Line Gun. *Twitchers will not die instantly when both arms are removed! They will remain alive and attempt to headbutt you. So in Chapter 9, shoot the three dead marines' heads off so the Infector will not make them into Twitchers. *Twitchers and Slashers are the only Necromorphs whose transformation can be observed. So if there are Infectors and Marine corpses in the same room, do not hesitate in shooting the corpses' heads off. *The Ripper is not always a good choice against a Twitcher, as it will sometimes dodge the saw blade. Trivia *Oddly enough the Marines had helmets, but when you look at their Necromorph head there isn't a helmet. This may be because the Infector knocked their helmets off, or the Twitchers' heads grew too large and destroyed the helmets. *A common bug found on Dead Space involves Twitchers and ventilation shafts. Sometimes the player will find a Twitcher running around in circles endlessly, and never attacking Isaac. Shooting them has no effect, but if the player stands in the path of the running Twitcher or strikes the creature, it immediately leaps up into a ventilation shaft either on the roof or in the wall. Sometimes, this can occur even if there isn't a shaft to jump in, at which point the creature leaps through the nearest wall. *When Twitchers run into Gravity Panels, they don't completely dismember, or even get lifted up. They just drop dead. However, as soon as they die they will be affected. *Twitchers are the quickest enemy in the game, even when their legs are dismembered. *The Twitcher is first introduced as soon as you enter the USM Valor. *As Twitchers are also encountered on the Aegis VII colony, it is likely that they are created from any RIG wearer outfitted with a Stasis module. *When killed, they will gibber and mutter incoherently for a short while, then remain silent. *Their "hair" will flap around even when dead. *Since the police force on The Sprawl have built in Stasis modules, it is possible that the Twitcher may appear in Dead Space 2. *It is unknown why the stasis packs on the Marines make the Twitcher faster, stasis is meant to slow down not speed up. Maybe the materials in the stasis have a reversed affect when combined with the Necromorph virus, or is even possible that Necromorphs have intelligence to the point to modify the Stasis module. *It is also unknown what it is coming out of a Twitcher's head, and there are many theories as to what it is. The most common is that it could be strands of brain coming out of its head. Death Scene *A rare but special death sequence occurs if Isaac is aiming his weapon while the Twitcher finishes off his health. The Twitcher tears off Isaac's right arm in its frenzied swinging. Isaac looks at the stump on his arm in a dazed shock, and the Twitcher suddenly swings its blades right into Isaac. At first, it appears the blade swing didn't do anything, but then Isaac suddenly leans forward and his upper torso falls off to the floor. His legs walk a few steps before also falling to the floor. The Twitcher then stares into the screen before dashing off. *If Isaac is hit by a Twitcher's barrage of slashes while he is low on health, Isaac will simply be split in half. thumb|left|300px|The special Twitcher death sequence Gallery twitcher1.jpg|A close up view of the Twitcher. Twitcher_2.png|Extreme closeup Appearances *''Dead Space: ''Chapter 9: Dead on Arrival(First appearance) *''Dead Space 2 ?'' Sources